Description
With its dizzying depiction of a futuristic cityscape and alluring female robot, Metropolis is among the most famous of all German films and the mother of sci-fi cinema (an influence on Blade Runner and Star Wars, among countless other films). Directed by the legendary Fritz Lang (M, Das Testament des Dr. Mabuse,The Big Heat, etc.), its jaw-dropping production values, iconic imagery, and modernist grandeur it was described by Luis Buñuel as ‘a captivating symphony of movement’ remain as powerful as ever.
Drawing on and defining classic sci-fi themes, Metropolis depicts a dystopian future in which society is thoroughly divided in two: while anonymous workers conduct their endless drudgery below ground their rulers enjoy a decadent life of leisure and luxury. When Freder (Gustav Fröhlich) ventures into the depths in search of the beautiful Maria (Brigitte Helm in her debut role), plans of rebellion are revealed and a Maria-replica robot is programmed by mad inventor Rotwang (Rudolf Klein-Rogge) and master of Metropolis Joh Fredersen (Alfred Abel) to incite the workers into a self-destructive riot.
A’Holy Grail’ among film finds, Metropolis is presented here in a newly reconstructed and restored version, as lavish and spectacular as ever thanks to the painstaking archival work of the Friedrich-Wilhelm-Murnau-Stiftung and the discovery of 25 minutes of footage previously thought lost to the world. Lang’s enduring epic can finally be seen for the first time in 83 years as the director originally intended, and as seen by German cinema-goers in 1927.
SPECIAL FEATURES:
150-minute reconstructed and restored 2010 version (including 25 minutes of footage previously thought lost to the world)
– Wraparound embossed sleeve
– Pristine new HD transfer (1080p on Blu-ray)
– New 2010 symphony orchestra studio recording of the original 1927 Gottfried Huppertz score in 5.1
– Newly translated optional English subtitles as well as the original German intertitles
– Full-length audio commentary by David Kalat and Jonathan Rosenbaum
– Die Reise nach Metropolis (2010, 53 minutes), a documentary about the film
– 2010 re-release trailer
– 56-page booklet featuring archival interviews with Fritz Lang, a 1927 review by Luis Buñuel, articles by Jonathan Rosenbaum and Karen Naundorf, and restoration notes by Martin Koerber.
